Project Wraith
by CyberCore1984
Summary: a story about a man made into a physical and cybernetic version of the actual angel of death. from a moden day time, to a apocalyptic nightmarish wasteland. this story trancends the rise and fall of mankind, and its second chance and final chance to exist


Chapter 17

The room was empty. The stainless steel and white padded room were only complimented by the shackles that held carson to the wall and floor, and the metal and glass table that was sitting in the far end of the room. The side and back front walls of the room opposite of carson's location were filled with two sided mirrors for the staff to observe. The ceiling was decorated with illuminated plasma lighting, more conventional then LED lighting, and alot more useful. At a touch of a button the ambience could be lowered to whatever the users mind desired, as well as color. The floor was a white marble and metal design, th eonly metal being under and around carsons prison. The shackles being made of the same technology harnnesed by the Gauntlet, except missing the more human side and spiritual side that was within the gauntlet itself. However the mechanics could be copied and applied once understood.

The shackles were a titanium diamond mixture, and with the weight of a metal 15 times the size of themselves. The wrist clamps were fitted with ambionic censors that could detect and cancel out, and paranormal, spiritual, and earthly activity that may arise within the gauntlet itself, providing carson with a almost endless amount of energy and stability to use it. In short, without the ability of the gauntlet to enhance and magnify carsons naturally honed abilities, his chances of breaking free were slim to none. The very design of these shackles were to cause more strain and weight the more the prisoner tried to escape. That any known reaction in our universe as we know it, in a means to break or free ones self from the bonds would almost certainly restrain, and eventually...kill the subject if he or she did not cease their motions and intentions of escape. This very method was used to capture carson in the first place. The more he fought, the easier it got to capture him. His own powers and abilities were the very downfall and means to bring him down, using his own tactics against him.

His capturs watching anxitiously on as victor and his paranormal tech team scrambled to obtain as much data on the subject as possible. It was of course the first time they could study carson, the very project they begun and tried to terminate, over 23 years ago. The first time they could finally see how their weapon not only survived, but evolved. The gauntlet itself was no ordinary robotic/cybernetic weapon but rather its own mechanical life form in such that it could evolve with carson, as his needs and abilities see fit. It would change and transform over time, adapting to its usage and its masters needs. It litteraly was one with him, were he went it went. When he changed, it changed. A perfect symbiotic relationship in many words. Victor, the projects founder had a chance to really speak with carson sense before the events of the ultimate tragedy that wiped out over %73 of th worlds population. The war, and the bombs. The turning point on which W.r.a.i.t.h.'s very existance originated from, trully originated and maintained by. Without it, the transformation and acension could not have been possible and ultimately carson would have died a slow, painful maddening death like the other subjects before him. A real...Reaper of sorts had to understand life, before death. And experience death, before he could appreciate life. Carson in many words, died many times before, but this time...he was about to not only die again, but ascend. The final forms before what Victor belived to be a true imbodiment of death itself, the angel of death, the soul collector, whatever nation or peoples called it. Death, had to exist. And to be in a physical sense, it had to understand life.

Life being carson, the only true human being ever to endure, experience, survive and maintain sanity through what coul dbe considered a true cross over from life to death, and back again. a true ressurection of sorts. Strain, no human being should ever, or could ever withstand or have to endure...but he did. And now it made sense. Everything that led up to this moment, everything that happened from the war, the losses, the gains, the revalations and visions, the dreams and moments of passion, death, everything...had to happen, it had to lead to this moment. Carson, whos arms were raised a little bit above his shoulder and head, shackles to the wall, his legs behind him and shackled as well, awaited the next move by his captors. He then spoke.

"Soo...are we just here to watch the ginea pig squeel or are we going to offer it soem water?" He said in a dark and what seemed, erie voice...a voice which seemed to overlap and change as he spoke, clear signs of the gauntlets negative energy taking hold over carson, it was evidence that porlonged exposure and usage of his powers and gauntlet seemed to open a small rift within himself, driving his medium powers through the roof, when he spoke...they spoke and at times nobody could be certain anymore if it was really him, or them. or...it. Carson smiled a bit as he slowly turned his head towards the doubled sided glass, his hood over his face, his robes covering his armor and clothing. Only his gauntlet, left hand, and lower body could be seen. The bottom of his face, and the dark red optic eye and iris glowing in his left eye could be observed. The room ambience on a low dark setting.

"well...I'm waiting Victor..." Carson said as he smiled. Victor a bit shocked but unsurprised, walked up to the microphone and responded.

"Good to see your still with us carson, i was begining ot think you clamed up after...all these years. It was a hell of a time finding you, I'm glad we didnt have to look far...I knew you wouldn't disappoint." Victor smiled and watch carsons reaction. Nothing. "Well...arn't you going to ask those questions? I'm sure you'd like to know how I survived our last encounter..or better yet...how I managed to pull of the greates mass extinction this planet has ever seen. ...No...of course not. You already know all that though. What you really want...is me. Your cold gauntlet squeezing the life out of me...absorbing me into your collective. As if to finally release you from your own pitiful torment of loss. ...Problem is carson...you and I both know...I'm apart of you. That if it was not for me...you would not even exist. So...that leads me to believe that it's not just you...who wants a piece of me. Somebody...once close to me is also with us...is she not?" Victor stood back.

Carson showed no signs of reaction...until Victor played the digital disc that was in front of him. The disc was a old compact disc from the early 1990s, were digital forms of entertainment and data were stored on such devices. This inparticular one...was one of rebecca, the nurse who cared for carson during the projects early months, and...her children. The very same children who later were sought out by the firstborn scourge, aka the very early and first form of what we all now called "belial" the gigantic atmopsheric anaomaly and storm, comprised of every single soul, entitiy, living creature that was destroyed and wipped away in the near mass extinction of the human race. Every angry, sad, tormented soul, every spirit wanting revenge and punihsment upon those who caused it's death, every piece of bad energy, past sin, history of agony and sadness ever recorded, was the sum of what created this hellish scourge. He knew that somehow carson, and this entity within the gauntlet were very strongly connected to the storm. Even now, and if his theory was correct, the reason for that was because the very one who nursed carson, was the entity within the gauntlet itself. It would respond.

Victors feelings were not wrong...not this time. Carson began to show signs of struggle, within himself. He began to breath heavily, the censors in the lookout room were steadily rising and fluctuating. The shackles keeping their bond on carson, and slowly tightening and getting heavier. Then...he stopped, looked up, and his personality changed. It was her. And she did not look one bit happy to see victor once more face to face. "So coward, you finally decide to seek me out. Pretty sad, the great master and creator here can't even figure out until now...whos been guiding your beloved lifes work. How does it feel to be betrayed? to lose something you love oh sooooooo much...to realize that something you put so much work into, so much emotion blood sweat and tears, restless nights and long days to create...was used against you? By the very ones you betrayed to bring THIS...abomination to life! ..." Carsons voice deepended, his red eye and look growing more angry and upset. "You!...took them from me victor. Your own chilren!" Victor stood back a bit, taking it in. Watching as his team looked in shock, at him an dback to carson, and the revelation rebecca revealed.

"Thy were expendable rebecca...like you were. It was only a matter of time until belial found you anyways. It wanted me...much like you do now. It woul dhave struck you all to get to me. I had to let it understand that I do no negotiate...with how you say...terroists. It strikes terror...by its very definition into any living thing it desires. But it was premature. A baby, still understanding its limits within our world rebecca. It was not like the anomaly its grown into today. You have to understand...dear...that just because we had children, does not mean my life, and its work would be allowed to be jeopordized and destroyed because of a mistake I made 29 years ago. Yours, and their deaths were not in vein. I did this to bring about change, a second chance..." Carson, or what seemed to eb carson, snapped forward in rage, his eye intensly glowing. "Change? you call this new sad exuse of a deserted wasteland a second chance? they wee your family! I was your family! what changed that? They and I did NOT deserve abandonment, we did not deserve this! belial may have found us eventually, but that should have been our choice! MY choice! and you...not only killed me, your own children, but you killed carson and his family as well! your arrogance and evil knows no bounds! your lack of shame only matched by the devil that drives you! You really...really think...we let you capture us dear? trully?..."

Victor pasued, and turned back to the window ...slowly walking into view. "thats right dear...I still know my husband, even if he is a murdering psychopath. I still can see right through you. To think you actually harnnessed something to finally control your pet...god...the look on your face is priceless baby...might want to take a picture. You didnt capture anything..." Victor and his team looking at each other and then back to the room, puzzled. "I allowed this...carson...allowed this. You still don;t get it do you? you seriously don't get it. maybe your lackies can explain it...I'm sure your friend jason beside you...can clear the air for me..." Carson smiled as he lowered back to the wall, waiting. Victor looked down to the man next to him, jason carpenter.A high ranking nasa official back in his day, as well as a philosipher in life, and technology. He looked at Victor in a deep concered manner. "um...shes ..ugh hes...right. I think we may have been going about this all wrong sir"

Victor growing impatient wanted answers. "spill it..." he said quickly. Jason, looked back at carson and then slowly back to victor. "sir...um...the censors seem to eb reading normally but sense we brough thim in, they um...have been rising. In theory, that should be fine due ot the fact that the shackles holding him are deisnged specificlly to counter act w.r.a.i.t.h.'s reactions and attempts to escape, however...it is that very raction that seems to be also increasing his energy output. No only that...but it seems the more the shackles tighten and weigh in...the more it seems to cycle through and create a endless loop of power ...i am not sure how to say this...but...the technology we mimiced, harnnesed and created this entire time...has had a loop hole. And i think he..ugh she found it sir. It is as if...the very design itself...ws preordaned well before even we...you sir...found the gauntlet. I think what shes trying to say is...she wanted us to bring him here. These readings...arn't rising because ...they don't need to. ..." Victor grabbed jason and looked him dead in the eyes. "what...are you saying..." He said as he let jason go. "what I'm saying sir is...this entire time, carson hs been fooling us, and she just helped with his capture to get him here. he...doesnt have control of the base but...he had to of known we would use the technology to hold him here. We need to start negotiating or evacuating right now. I don;t think he cares much to do anything else."

Just then Victors look turned to a ghost white. He stepped back and looked at the screen before him, and then he looked on his data bracelet. How could he be so stupid! He knew carson wasn't a fool, but how could he possibly have known the very design victor thought to of created, would be the very design carson hoped for. well before the bombs, well before the war, carson knew he couldnt stop it! He knew...the only way to stop victor, was to let his ego and madness consume him. The readings were not only rising, but were peaking. well beyond anything thought to eminate from w.r.a.i.t.h. himself. Even the all the tetss, the designs, the theories...none of them could forsee this outcome. "SHIT!" He said as he looked back at carson, the lights slowly dimming more and more. Now...carson was gaing control. Slowly but surely. He rose his head chuckling, laughing even, smirking as rebeca receaded, and carson came to.

"whats the matter victor...pissed you didnt se this part of the game board? You really think your god don;t you? That nothing was left behind, nothing unturned, nothing in this world could stop your ambitions. Problem is victor, because of you...I'm not from this world anymore. ..." Suddenly the building began to slowly rumble, the lights in the observation room and hallwasy began to flicker and shut down, the computers going nuts with white noise and static. Victor ordered his men out of the room and to evacute all personal out of the building.

Carson then stopped, the room laid still for what seemd liek forever, as he rose his head to met victors gaze one more time, the optic eyes mechanics rotating and glowing, carson replying...

"I'm more from a place your about to go to...I've waited..._a...lonngggg longgg...time for this victor...it's time to answer for your sins..." _The building began to shake, monitors exploding the windows cracking and smashing. victor himself shocked and in awe at what he was witnessing. The roof of the facility began to buckle, arcs of electric current making its way outward and toward carson, his shackles trying to hold him down began to do the imposible...bend, the chains pulling so hard as he began to rise to his feet, that they began to eminate heat, literraly melting off his wrists. Carson locked eyes with victor, and the last of his team as they began to evacuate. Carson then rose his head to the ceiling, the roof shattering away rising into the sky, his voice radiating as he began to yell in rage, breaking free from his bonds...and then victor realized the horrifying truth. Belial, it was above the facility the entire time. It was never after carson, it was never its own seperate entity, in search of answers, to what it seemed to already know. It...was alwasy apart of carson. It was formed because...of carson. It...and wraith...were one in the same. and now...victor had some answering to do. "Dear god..." He said ironicly before being ripped into the sky, screaming and clawing as he rose into the mouth of the storm, tearing him limb from limb before he even got close to the eye of it. Belials dark mass, had been gathering above the facility sense the moment carson spoke, just waiting for the right moment to indulge...in its cravings.

Carson, now rising from the floor in a trance liek state, began to rise into the sky. The ground below him shaking and cracking away, the walls ripping away into the twister around him, the debry surrounding wraith in a cyclonic pattern as it rose upward, his cloak changing and rising in a mist like form reaching to the sky. The energy and light emitting from wraith was incredible. The entire facilty began to rip itself off the foundation...and carsons team was witnessing it all from a far, about 10 miles out. Carsons close friend, smith couldnt belive his eyes. The very storm that caused him so much pain, was the very weapon used to end it a reign of tyranny not seen sense world war 2. Though he knew...now...carson was fully compromised. The sickness within the gauntlet by now was taking over, and the very last means of defense that carson himself planned, designed, and showed smith how to execute if the worst case scenario was fully realize...had to be used. Wraith...had to be destroyed. Carson was less and less who he was, and more this death like entitiy that seemed to be controlling for the moment...belial itself. This was the prophecy, this...was the true...angel of death realized. The moment were either the earth passed intot he new age of light, ...or...like in bilical times...was covered in darkness...this time forever. Too bad victor wasn't alive to witness, he may have been proud. Smith had one of two choices...destroy wraith while he was vulnerable, or try to somehow...pull carson back to the surface, maybe in hopes of controlling belial or destroying it while he still could, and at the same time saving his childhood friend.


End file.
